On Monday, Delhi Police said it has arrested a so-called terrorist based in Lashkar-e-Taiba and associated with the terrorist group; Shabir Ahmed Lone, who is accused of heading a module of highly radicalised extremists who are conducting anti-India operations in the national capital.
The pro-Pakistan and pro-terror posters were discovered pasted in various places in Delhi, with the most recent ones being at the Janpath Metro Station in February, Lone was arrested over a month later according to the authorities. The posters that glorified slain militant Burhan Wani and had anti-India slogans led to a major security alert. The case was later given to the Special Cell which is the counter-terrorism unit of the Delhi Police.
Inquiries made found out that Lone aka Raja and Kashmiri was based in Bangladesh and organized the activities of his network. He is said to have ordered operatives to conduct reconnaissance operations of critical installations and report the same. In the past, eight people (mostly Bangladeshi nationals) had been caught redhanded attempting to go to India illegally, fabricating identity documents, and helping in the process.
According to the police authorities, the accused had travelled between Kolkata and Delhi through Patna in February where they had stuck posters in approximately 10 places, shot videos, and forwarded them to Lone to get the approval. He is quoted as complimenting their efforts and asking them to copy the efforts at Kolkata.
Law enforcement agencies suspect that the module had more terror-related activities and this has raised the issue of cross-border coordination and the use of sleeper cells. The detention of Lone is being considered as a major breakthrough in the breaking of the network and the thwarting of a possible danger to the national security.